Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Iran: Iraq and Pakistan

Lord Kempsell: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Iran regarding that country's recent missile attacks on Pakistan and Iraq.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK condemned the Iranian regime's attacks in Erbil on 15 January which killed civilians including UK-Iraqi national Karam Mikhael, and against targets in Pakistan on the 16 January. These actions were an unacceptable violation of both Iraq and Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We have long condemned Iran's destabilising activity in its neighbourhood and wider region. The Foreign Secretary made clear to the Iranian Foreign Minister on 17 January that Iran must stop using the regional situation as cover to act recklessly and violate the sovereignty of others.

North Korea: Conflict Prevention

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to summon the ambassador of North Korea over the risk of conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is closely monitoring tensions on the Korean Peninsula, including the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) ballistic missile launches, which breach United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. We unequivocally condemn all actions that endanger the peace and stability of the region. We continue to raise these issues bilaterally with the DPRK through their Embassy in London. The UK will continue to hold them to account for their destabilising behaviour and urge them to return to dialogue.

Korea: Conflict Prevention

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of conflict on the Korean peninsula following Kim Jong-Un's speech of 16 January and recent missile tests; and what steps they have taken to prevent export of weapons and ammunition from North Korea.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are closely monitoring recent statements from Pyongyang, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) continued testing of ballistic missiles. The UK issued a joint statement on 12 January with 50 countries strongly condemning the DPRK's ballistic missile transfers to Russia. The transfer and use of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia's war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime. The DPRK is already subject to a robust sanctions regime and the UK will continue to work with our partners to hold the DPRK to account for engaging in illegal arms transfers and breaching its international obligations.

Antigua and Barbuda: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Baroness Benjamin: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of Hurricane Irma relief funds provided to Barbuda since September 2017.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK provided over £196 million in response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria. This included direct humanitarian support to the population of Barbuda, who were evacuated to Antigua in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Irma. We also committed £3 million to longer-term reconstruction work for the energy sector on the island of Barbuda. The use of funds was assessed by a Foreign Affairs Committee enquiry and The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) performance review early in 2018, and is also subject to our standard project governance and oversight. The Barbuda Energy Resilience Project is underway and will be evaluated in 2026.

Antigua and Barbuda: Property Development

Baroness Benjamin: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of projects such as the Barbuda Ocean Club and Cedar Tree Point on the human rights of Barbudans, and in particular the impact of such projects on access to sufficient safe drinking water, environmental protection, and communal land ownership.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: HMG is not involved in the development of the Barbuda Ocean Club and Cedar Tree Point projects. Any impact assessment would be conducted by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.

Shipping

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of any adverse implications ofthe current global freight shipping (1) disruptions, and (2) costs; and what assessment they have made of the risk that China will benefit from any preferential access to the Northern Arctic Sea route from Asia to Europe.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: While there may be some delays as supply chains adjust to current disruptions, shipping operators are working to mitigate any impact on consumers. The Government is working to equip UK businesses with the tools they need to deal with global supply chain issues and recently published the UK's first Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy. Although declining Arctic sea-ice could in future open new global shipping routes, the Arctic remains a harsh and challenging environment and current use of the Northern Sea Route remains limited and largely restricted to the summer months.

Cabinet Office

Question

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government to provide a list of government departments that use Fujitsu designed software; and whether any operating errors have been reported.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Cabinet Office does not hold a central register of software being used across Government.The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), in the Cabinet Office, is responsible for supporting departments to build and operate modern, state of the art, highly responsive and cost effective technology that meets the needs of our end users and delivers the cross-government digital strategy.CDDO operates a delegated assurance process which reviews proposed projects for value for money as well as alignment to standards and policies. Once projects are approved, contracts are awarded by individual departments. Projects meeting specific criteria are also reviewed by CDDO experts. Details of central government contracts where the contract value is above £12,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Question

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are coordinating and disseminating lessons learned from the various current and recent past public inquiries, in particular where there are recommendations regarding policy-making procedures and machinery of government; and whether they plan to publish the steps they intend to take as a result.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Each inquiry chair will present their conclusions and recommendations to an inquiry’s sponsor minister. It is the responsibility of the lead department to determine how best to progress and implement the inquiry’s recommendations and the department will publish its response on Gov.uk. The Cabinet Office takes the lead on the Covid, Grenfell and Infected Blood Inquiries and looks forward to acting on lessons learned.

Question

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish a list of Post Office directors who have been recommended for honours by the Prime Minister since 2010.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: A full list of honours recipients is published biannually and these are therefore a matter of public record. The Government does not routinely publish a list of names broken down by sector and there are currently no plans to publish a list of Post Office directors. The Government is aware that there is increased interest and speculation surrounding honours relating to the Post Office inquiry. We will not speculate or provide commentary on any individual cases: these are confidential.

Blood: Contamination

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask His Majesty's Government when they will announce details of a full and comprehensive scheme for victims of the infected blood scandal; and when they expect the first payments to be made under the new scheme.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Inquiry is expected to publish their final report on 20th May and the Minister for the Cabinet Office has committed to updating Parliament within 25 sitting days of the publication of the final report. The Government is appointing clinical, legal and social care experts to advise the Cabinet Office on detailed technical considerations to make informed choices in responding to the Inquiry’s recommendations on compensation.

Artificial Intelligence: Public Sector

Lord Mott: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for adoption of artificial intelligence in the public sector.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: AI and automation is a generational opportunity to drive public sector performance and productivity, with internal estimates suggesting adoption could generate £4.8bn in annual productivity gains in the Civil Service. Further savings are possible in wider public services such as Education, Health and Policing.The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) in the Cabinet Office has convened external experts and digital leaders across government to rapidly respond to developments in this area.As part of the Government Roadmap for Digital and Data, the Government published our commitment to systematically track opportunities arising from emerging technologies, with a special focus on enabling departments to make confident and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence to improve efficiency and services.CDDO is also working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the new i.AI team, furthering knowledge sharing through cross-government communities of practice.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Elections: Artificial Intelligence

Lord Mott: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the risk of AI-generated misinformation in elections.

Viscount Camrose: The Government has in place established systems and processes, to protect the democratic integrity of the UK. We are working extensively across Government to ensure we are ready to rapidly respond to any threats to our democratic processes. The Government’s Defending Democracy Taskforce seeks to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference, by engaging across government and with Parliament, the UK’s intelligence community, the devolved administrations, local authorities, the Electoral Commission, the private sector, and civil society. The threat to democracy from AI was discussed at the AI Safety Summit in November 2023, reinforcing the Government’s commitment to international collaboration on this shared challenge. The Government is working closely with social media platforms to ensure they are taking action to protect the integrity of the next election. Implementation of the Online Safety Act and the Foreign Interference Offence will make a significant difference here. For example, under the Online Safety Act, all companies subject to the safety duties will be required to take action against illegal content online, including misinformation and disinformation where it amounts to a criminal offence, and will be required to take steps to remove this content - including where it is produced by relevant AI bots - if they become aware of it on their services.

Aerials: Highlands of Scotland

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byViscount Camrose of 19 December 2023 (HL1000, HL1001), whether they can explain why geographical coverage was chosen as the goal for the Shared Rural Network of telephone masts, instead of population coverage.

Viscount Camrose: The decision to choose geographic coverage as the preferred target for the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme reflects the longstanding commitment from the government to improve geographic mobile coverage. This includes a commitment to extend mobile coverage to 95% of the UK landmass in the 2017 manifesto.Specifying a geographic target for the SRN recognises the need for people to be connected whilst they are on the move, and reflects our desire to end the digital divide between urban and rural areas. It ensures that the programme remains focused on delivering benefits to the most rural parts of the country.There are a number of expected benefits of improving mobile coverage in rural areas which have often been left behind. Masts in rural areas will improve the safety of those living, working and visiting the area, enabling 4G to facilitate 999 calls for the first time. Other benefits include economic and productivity growth, as well as wider social benefits including improved consumer choice, tourism benefits and rural/urban equity.

Home Office

Asylum

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ensure that all those seeking to make an asylum claim have a safe and clear route to do so.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it, in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and European Convention on Human Rights. Since 2015, we have offered over half a million people a safe and legal route to the UK. With the scale of disruption and the lamentable situations that too many people find themselves in across the globe, we will never be able to provide a route for all or that meets every eventuality. Through the cap on safe and legal routes, we are seeking to get a better idea on the capacity of local authorities to resettle refugees. By setting the cap, based on the actual capacity of the UK, we can continue to welcome people to the UK in a sustainable way and put the UK’s resettlement model on a stable and predictable footing. The consultation with local authorities is now closed. The final figure will be agreed to by Parliament. Parliament will have an opportunity to debate and vote on the cap before it comes into force. It is only by bearing down on illegal migration, and through reverting to more sustainable management of our safe and legal routes through the cap, that we can continue to focus on helping people directly from regions of conflict and instability. We believe our resettlement schemes are the best way to provide much needed support for those who need it.

Asylum: Employment

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the waiting period for asylum seekers to be granted the right to work to six months rather than the current 12 months.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Asylum seekers who have had their claim outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own, are allowed to work. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List. This is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee. Whilst we keep all policies under review, there are no immediate plans to change the existing policy.

Immigration Controls: EU Countries

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the European Commission on co-operation about the introduction to the UK of (1) the Entry/Exit System, and (2) the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, to ensure that travellers with disabilities are not disadvantaged, in particular, in respect of facial recognition, where those with sight impairment may have significant difficulties in complying.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government is engaging both the European Commission and French Government through officials holding routine technical meetings to understand and influence the implementation plans of the new systems. This includes working with port owners and operators to understand and support their plans to mitigate EES and ETIAS impacts at the border. Our understanding is that support will be available through agents with tablets who can register anyone who cannot use a kiosk.

Asylum

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commit to reducing the waiting period for all initial asylum decisions to one year or less.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Asylum casework operations are now prioritising processing asylum claims submitted on or after the 28th June 2022 with the aim of concluding these as soon as possible.

MOD Wethersfield: Migrants

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 11 December 2023 (HL597), how often is the doctor at the onsite primary healthcare available to hold in-person consultations for residents.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The site has on-site primary healthcare delivered by a local healthcare provider during working hours Monday to Friday. The medical centre is open for 12 hours on arrival days. Healthcare provision on site is designed to be comprehensive and minimise any impact on local services. It is analogous to a conventional GP’s surgery with additional, bespoke, health screening capability.

Passports: Ethnic Groups

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the automatic algorithmic verification of passport photographs uploaded for online passport applications, to ensure that ethnic diversity does not lead to the rejection of photographs which comply with requirements, for example on the ground that eyes are closed when the photograph clearly shows that the eyes are open.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: When applying for a passport online, the photo submitted is subject to an initial check to determine if automated passport office systems would assess that the photo meets the internationally agreed standards for passports.Where a photo is assessed as not meeting the required standards, it does not routinely mean it is rejected. Customers may override the outcome of this check and submit the photo as part of their application. On receipt of the application, the image will then be assessed by a human to determine whether it is suitable for passport purposes.

Department for Business and Trade

Insolvency

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to recent figures released by the Government Insolvency Service which found that 2002 companies were declared insolvent last month, what plans they have to supportcompanies facing monetary challenges and mitigate the rise in insolvencies.

Lord Offord of Garvel: While insolvencies have risen in absolute terms, when this is compared to the number of active firms in the economy, the proportion of liquidations is well below previous periods of high insolvency numbers. The Government continues to help businesses with measures such as the Energy Bills Discount Scheme; the frozen business rates multiplier for 2023/24 resulting in bills that were 6% lower; increased 75% business rates relief for retail, hospitality and leisure properties; £1.6bn Transitional Relief, protecting ratepayers facing bill increases and the Supporting Small Business scheme that provides over £500 million in support.

Protective Clothing: Manufacturing Industries

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the personal protective equipment (PPE) industry about regulatory and technological solutions to improve short PPE use-by dates.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Personal Protective Equipment Regulation 2016/425 sets out essential safety requirements that PPE must meet. This includes an obligation on the manufacturer to give, if possible, the month and year of obsolescence, if it is known that the design performance may be significantly affected by ageing. The Government has had no discussions with industry about changing this requirement in the Regulation, but welcomes new technological innovation to improve short PPE use-by dates.

Audits

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they or the Financial Reporting Council has issued any guidance in relation to the duties of auditors under section 498(1)(a) of the Companies Act 2006.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: Sections 498(1) and 498(2) of the Companies Act 2006 covering auditors' investigations as to accounting records require an auditor to report by exception if adequate accounting records have not been kept or returns for the audit of records have not been received from branches. International Standard on Auditing (UK) 700, issued by the Financial Reporting Council as the UK's standard setter, sets out an auditor's statutory responsibility to report on adequate accounting records.Auditors should also consider technical guidance (01/11) issued by the Institute for Chartered Accountants in England and Wales on directors' duties as to accounting records.

UK Trade with EU: Republic of Ireland

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many jobs in the Republic of Ireland are currently dependent on trade with the UK.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: According to the OECD’s Trade in Employment database, exports to the UK supported around 172,500 jobs in the Republic of Ireland in 2020.

Horizon IT System

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government whether any minister or official at the former department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy had any knowledge of, or involvement in, the attempt by lawyers for the Post Office to have Mr Justice Fraser removed from his role as judge in the case Bates and Others vs Post Office Ltd; and if so, when they first become aware of the Post Office's attempts.

Lord Offord of Garvel: These are matters for the statutory Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. It would be wrong to prejudice its work.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany Universal Credit claims were subject to (1) deductions (advance repayments), third party reductions and all other deductions, (2) reductions (sanctions and fraud penalties), and (3) suspension (stop in payment due to doubt over entitlement), in the 2022–23 financial year; and what was the (a) average, and (b) total, amount (i) deducted, (ii) reduced, and (iii) suspended; and what proportion does this represent.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Information on 1) deductions and 2) fraud penalties for Universal Credit are provided in the tables below. Table 1: Number of households with a Universal Credit Claim subject to at least one deduction, broken down by deduction type; the number of households with a deduction as a proportion of all universal credit households; what the total sum of deductions was; how much on average was deducted, in the 2022-23 financial year. 2022/23Number of distinct UC claimsProportion of Universal Credit Claims subject to DeductionTotal Amount DeductedAverage Deduction AmountClaims with deduction for an advance2,400,00038%£690,000,000£40Claims with deduction for third party950,00015%£227,000,000£33Claims with other deductions2,200,00034%£684,000,000£49All UC claims with at least one deduction3,500,00055%£1,601,000,000£62All UC claims6,400,000 Table 2: Number of households with a Universal Credit Claim subject to at least fraud penalty; the number of households with a fraud penalty as a proportion of all universal credit households; what the total sum of fraud penalties was; the average fraud penalty, in the 2022-23 financial year. Table 2Number of distinct UC claims in the 2022-23 Financial YearNumber of households with at least one fraud penalty in the 2022-23 Financial YearHouseholds with at least one fraud penalty as a proportion of all UC householdsTotal amount of Fraud Penalties across the 22/23 financial yearAverage Fraud Penalty Amount for those households with a fraud penalty6,400,0003300.01%£65,000£200 Notes:1. Average deduction amounts have been rounded to the nearest £1 and proportions have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. Fraud penalty reduction amounts are rounded to nearest £10 and proportions to the nearest 0.01 percentage point.2. Deductions include advance repayments, third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.3. "Advances" include all four UC advance types: New Claim, Benefit Transfer, Budgeting and Change of Circumstances.4. The table includes the number of distinct Universal Credit households subject to a deduction in the period 2022-2023. Any household with deductions in more than one assessment period within the period requested will only be counted once. Where a household has multiple deductions in the same assessment period, these figures provide the total of all deductions taken.5. The table includes the number of distinct Universal Credit households subject to a fraud penalty in the period 2022-2023. Any household with fraud penalty in more than one assessment period within the period requested will only be counted once. Where a household has multiple fraud penalties in the same assessment period, these figures provide the total of all fraud penalties taken.6. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.7. This method for calculating the proportion is different to the usual reported figure which looks at a given month and historically has been around 45% for all UC households. See PQ UIN: 203044.8. Households could have more than one deduction type so adding claims by deduction type may not sum to the total of all deductions.  Information on 2) reductions due to sanctions is provided below Monthly statistics for April 2022 to March 2023, on the number of Universal Credit full service claimants with a payment that has been reduced due to a sanction, are published on Stat-Xplore, and are shown in the following table. UC claimants in conditionality regimes where sanctions can be applied by month and sanction indicator from April 2022 to March 2023Sanction indicatorYesNoTotalApril 2022106,1725,439,9555,546,129May 2022108,9695,432,8665,541,837June 2022110,4385,450,3405,560,774July 2022117,5275,502,5145,620,041August 2022114,8745,546,0785,660,952September 2022117,6715,566,5575,684,229October 2022122,2935,608,8955,731,191November 2022117,3975,639,3865,756,783December 2022119,7445,660,3605,780,103January 2023118,3955,681,2095,799,601February 2023113,3525,722,9765,836,324March 2023120,0865,733,1005,853,189Source: Stat-Xplore, Department for Work and PensionsNotes:The sanction indicator for claimants can take the following values: Yes - Claimants payment is being reduced due to a sanction; No - Claimants payment is not being reduced due to a sanction.Statistical disclosure control has been applied to this table to avoid the release of confidential data. Totals may not sum due to the disclosure control applied.Statistics for Universal Credit Sanctions relate to the second Thursday of each month.These statistics include those sanctions which subsequently go on to be overturned. Claimants whose sanction is overturned will be repaid any deduction. The information requested for average and total amount of benefit reduced due to sanction is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Information for part 3) suspensions is not readily available and to provide these would be at disproportionate cost.

Household Support Fund

Baroness Morgan of Huyton: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to (1) extend funding for the Household Support Fund beyond March 2024, and (2) make an announcement regarding funding for that scheme.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Government has provided over £2 billion in funding for the Household Support Fund since October 2021.The current Household Support Fund runs from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, and the government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dogs: Litter

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on dog fouling; and whether they provide guidance to local councils on the penalties for dog fouling.

Lord Douglas-Miller: It is unacceptable for people not to clean up after their dogs and we are giving local councils the tools they need to tackle this anti-social behaviour. Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) allow councils to require dog owners to pick up their dog’s faeces. Those who breach the terms of a PSPO may be prosecuted, which can lead to a criminal record and a fine of up to £1,000 on conviction. Alternatively, the council can issue a fixed penalty notice. As part of the Prime Minister’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan, we will be increasing the upper limit on these fixed penalty notices to £500, up from the current maximum of £100. The Government has published practitioners' guidance on dealing with irresponsible dog ownership, which covers the use of PSPOs. Copies of this manual and its annexes are attached to this answer.Dog ownership practitioner's manual (pdf, 1027.9KB)Dog ownership practitioner's manual annexes A-D (pdf, 963.3KB)

Department of Health and Social Care

Health Services: Waiting Lists

Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government how NHS England waiting lists for hospital appointments are adjusted to take account of people who have died while waiting for an appointment.

Lord Markham: Cutting waiting lists is one of the Prime Minister’s top priorities, and we are committed to ensuring patients get the care they need when they need it.Providers should ensure that all patient pathways recorded relate to patients still in need of care, as part of their routine management of waiting lists. If a patient dies whilst on an elective waiting list, the corresponding patient pathway should be removed from the list and recorded appropriately.

Department for Education

Schools: Extracurricular Activities

Baroness Garden of Frognal: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered the need for all students to have diverse access to opportunities for enrichment as part of the development of the new Advanced British Standard.

Baroness Barran: Employability, enrichment and pastoral activities (EEP) are an important part of current post-16 study programmes as they prepare students for future education, employment and life.On 4 October 2023, the Prime Minister announced plans to introduce the Advanced British Standard (ABS) for 16 to 19 year-olds in England over the next decade. Under the new ABS, the department proposes that EEP activities should continue, to enrich students’ wider personal development, health and wellbeing as well as prepare them for future study and work. The department anticipates that most students will participate in 150 hours of EEP activities over the course of their ABS programme.The department understands that effective EEP is important for all students regardless of what level they are studying at, which is why the department is currently seeking views on this via the ABS consultation which launched on 14 December 2023 and is due to close on 20 March 2024.

Parents: Surveys

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of TheNational Parent Survey, published by Parentkind on 4 December 2023.

Baroness Barran: The National Parent Survey highlights the importance of engaging parents in their children’s education. While it is for schools to decide how to engage parents based on their particular circumstances, the department has put in place a range of support for schools and families for the issues the survey identifies. This includes support for access and attainment for those from lower income backgrounds and support for mental health and wellbeing.The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living. The department is providing total support worth £104 billion over the 2022/23 to 2024/25 financial years to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living. This includes additional Cost of Living Payments totalling up to £900 in the 2023/24 financial year for over 8 million UK households on eligible means tested benefits, and an additional £1 billion to help with the cost of household essentials.Further support is available through the Pupil Premium, to improve the educational outcomes of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. In line with the variety of approaches set by the department, this funding can be used to support high-quality teaching and to provide targeted academic support. It can also be used to tackle wider barriers to academic success, such as difficulties in attendance, behaviour, and social and emotional wellbeing. Pupil Premium funding will rise to over £2.9 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, an increase of £80 million from 2023/24.The government is addressing specific cost issues such as school uniform. New statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms came into force in September 2022, which requires schools in England to ensure that their uniforms are affordable and secures best value for money for parents.The department is committed to ensuring schools are calm, safe and supportive learning environments which promote and support good mental health and wellbeing. To support this commitment, the department is offering all state schools funding to train a senior mental health lead, who can oversee an effective whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing, which informs areas such as behaviour, tackling bullying and exam preparation. The department is also continuing to roll out Mental Health Support Teams, to increase access to early intervention support.The department shares parents’ concerns about the time spent by children on electronic devices. New non-statutory guidance will aim to ensure that headteachers and members of staff have a clear mandate and practical advice to prohibit the use of mobile phones during the school day, which further supports the department’s aim for schools to be a calm, safe and supportive environment to learn and work.As highlighted by the report, the experience children gain outside of their lessons is important to them fulfilling their potential as they progress from schools. The department is providing support to increase access to enriching extra-curricular activity. For example, the department is supporting cadets schemes in schools and funding an expansion in access to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in secondary schools, starting in more disadvantaged areas. Disadvantaged areas now rank amongst the highest performing in the country for careers provision and the department’s guidance is clear that schools should recognise the opportunity to improve social mobility by identifying any barriers to participation pupils may have and identify the support needed to maximise their life chances.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask His Majesty's Government why they decided to end the National Leaders of Governance Programme for schools in October 2023, rather than extend it to 2025.

Baroness Barran: The National Leaders of Governance (NLG) programme closed in October 2023 following the natural end of the contract with the National Governance Association (NGA). The department is grateful to the NGA for their successful delivery and for the quality of governance support the NLGs provided to schools and trusts.Strong governance remains a core pillar of the department’s vision for ensuring quality in the school system. The department continues to encourage school and trust boards to regularly review their governance arrangements to ensure they are operating as effectively as possible. The department recently published the Trust Quality Descriptions which state the department’s expectation that high-quality trusts will regularly access an independent review of their governance arrangements. The department, local authorities and governance support organisations can signpost boards to the growing number of potential providers that may be commissioned to undertake such a review. The Chartered Governance Institute has also started a process of accrediting providers of external reviews of governance which will be a helpful resource for school and trust boards. More information on the Trust Quality Descriptions can be found in the attached pdf.More guidance for school and trust governing boards can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/external-reviews-of-governance-whats-involved, and maintained school boards can seek advice from their local authority.HL1767 Trust Quality Descriptions (pdf, 269.3KB)

Schools: Extracurricular Activities

Baroness Garden of Frognal: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given tofunding (1) infrastructure, (2) guidance, and (3) training for education providers and potential partners, to support enrichment activity in schools.

Baroness Barran: The department is committed to ensuring young people have access to high-quality extra-curricular opportunities. The department understands these are an important part of a rich educational experience and can bring wider benefits to young people's mental health, confidence, social skills and general wellbeing.The department supports a range of initiatives to expand access to high-quality extra-curricular activities. For example, the department is investing over £200 million a year in our Holiday Activities and Food programme and working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to offer the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to all state secondary schools in England. This is in addition to working with DCMS to help schools ensure their pupils are getting the most out of the National Youth Guarantee, which is designed to ensure young people are given access to more activities, trips away from home and volunteering opportunities.The department’s wider approach to enrichment is informed by the view that schools are best placed to understand and meet the needs of their pupils and should have flexibility to decide what range of extra-curricular activities to offer. Both pupil premium and recovery premium can be used to fund enrichment activities and in March 2022 the department updated the guidance to make this clearer to schools.The department has also started to work alongside DCMS on the Enrichment Partnerships Pilot (EPP), which aims to improve the enrichment offer of up to 200 secondary schools in Education Investment Areas. The EPP has been awarded £3.381 million from HM Treasury’s Shared Outcomes Fund and will test whether greater coordination locally can enhance school enrichment offers and remove barriers to participation, create efficiencies (reducing the burden on school staff resources) and unlock existing funding and provision. The Centre of Learning run by our joint delivery partners, the National Citizen Service Trust and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, will also develop best practice guidance and resources. This will support relevant, high-quality enrichment coordination for the pilot, which is subsequently intended to support schools and improve access to and participation in enrichment in the future.

Treasury

Property: Sales

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increased interest rates in the property market on (1) homeowners, (2) prospective buyers, and (3) the wider economy.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The path to lower interest rates is through low inflation, and the government is fully committed to supporting the Bank of England to get inflation back down to the 2% target, including by keeping borrowing under control. While the pricing and availability of mortgages is ultimately a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene, our plan is working, and the average offered mortgage rates on 2-year and 5-year fixed rates have now fallen from their peak in Summer 2023. Importantly, the Government remains committed to making the aspiration of homeownership a reality for as many households as possible. We operate a range of schemes that aim to increase the supply of low-deposit mortgages for credit-worthy households, including first-time buyers, increase the availability of new housing, and stimulate economic growth. These include the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme, which is open until the end of June 2025, as well as First Homes and Shared Ownership through the Affordable Homes Programme. The Government also helps first-time buyers to save for a deposit through the Lifetime ISA and Help to Buy: ISA. Over 873,000 households have been helped to purchase a home since spring 2010 through government-backed schemes.

Inflation

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to bring inflation back to the target of two per cent; and when they expect that to be achieved.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Inflation has halved and was lower in Q4 2023 than had been forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in the Autumn. Despite the progress there are four key things the government is doing to reduce it further. Remaining steadfast in our support for the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England as it takes action to return inflation sustainably to the 2% target.Keeping borrowing under control. Borrowing is lower this year and next than it was forecast to be in the Spring and the OBR has forecast that government policies in the Autumn Statement will reduce inflation next year.Boosting labour supply. Labour market conditions are a key problem affecting UK businesses’ growth, as well as a significant driver of domestic inflation. Together, the packages at Autumn Statement and Spring Budget 2023 were the two largest increases to labour supply and potential GDP resulting from policy the OBR has ever scored.Introducing ambitious supply-side measures to support non-inflationary growth, including delivering full expensing to boost investment.

Interest Rates

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the Bank of England is considering cutting interest rates in response to the slowdown of wage growth; and what assessment they have made of the effect that this would have on the economy more widely.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Monetary policy is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England, so the Government rightly does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy.

Motor Vehicles: Finance

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the investigation launched by the Financial Conduct Authority on 11 January into the motor finance market, what long-term plans they have to ensure customers are charged fair and transparent prices in that market.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The government believes it is vital that consumers have access to a healthy, competitive and sustainable motor finance market to enable them to spread the cost of a vehicle in a way that is manageable and affordable.As the UK’s independent regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for regulating the motor finance market. It has robust powers to protect consumers in this market, and took action to ban discretionary commission models in 2021. The FCA has also confirmed that it will be taking steps to investigate historic practice in the motor finance sector, with a view to determining whether widespread misconduct has occurred and, if necessary, how redress can be delivered in an orderly and consistent way.Treasury ministers and officials meet regularly with the FCA, and the government will continue to work closely with the FCA to ensure all customers are treated fairly.

Ministry of Justice

Custody: Medical Records

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the incidence over the last 24 months of spouses or partners who use their spouse's or partner's NHS records in custody and other disputes.

Lord Bellamy: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The data readily available to the Government does not enable the Government to determine whether, and if so to what extent, spouses or partners have used their spouses’ or partners’ NHS records in custody or other disputes. The use of NHS data in such circumstances without consent would in normal circumstances constitute a breach of patient confidentiality.